Sen. George Allen's re-election campaign manager is leaving to run the 2006 re-election bid of Republican Gov. Mark Sanford in South Carolina.But Jason Miller's planned move, which the Sanford campaign disclosed Monday, doesn't mean the Virginia Republican senator's campaign is heading south, according to Allen's chief of staff, Dick Wadhams.
Allen, who faces no opponent yet, is running basically a fundraising operation and hasn't geared up other parts of his campaign, Wadhams said. The campaign reported about $5.5 million on hand at the end of September.
Wadhams said he hopes to have a new campaign manager in place by Jan. 1. Wadhams, a highly regarded strategist who helped engineer the ouster of then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., in 2004, also said Miller remains part of the "Allen team."
After Gov. Mark R. Warner, a Democrat, announced in the summer that he would not challenge Allen, Miller said he began getting job offers. He saw Sanford's race as far more competitive than what Allen will face in November 2006 and too good a chance to pass up, Miller said.
In other words, sounds like (a) without opposition from Warner, Allen is feeling so confident that (b) he's sent his campaign manager down south to scout out an early (and crucial) 2008 primary state. For Virginia Dems in '06 and all Dems who could end up fighting Allen in '08, getting a credible opponent for next year as quickly as possible is crucial.